PRESENT DAY BAKING

New Zealand Listener, Volume 6, Issue 153, 29 May 1942, Page 24

PRESENT DAY BAKING

Practical, Economical, Satisfying

large daily mail bag contains requests for recipes adapted to the needs of the present rather difficult times. Small or large cakes, shortbreads, biscuits, nut loaves and so on, are in great demand both for sending overseas and for our men and women in this country who are on strenuous war service. It is unnecessary and even ill-advised to say we should "cut out all cakes," for carefully thought"out cakes and biscuits supply certain and definite bodily needs. Lunches must be packed for taking to work-both day and night work-and these must not consist entirely of bread sandwiches, even though the bread be wholemeal and the "spread" be good butter, minced meat and_ cheese, chopped parsley, lettuce, and the like. These are good, but may well be supplemented by good biscuits or shortbread or cake, containing honey, golden syrup, oatmeal, nuts, raisins, dates, and so on, to supply heat and energy and also to give the touch of extra comfort ahd ‘the atmesphere of "home and mother"-which is a very definite help toward a cheerful outlook and a happy heart. Many a night worker has his spirit, as well as his body, revived and cheered by finding, when he opens his "lunch" that mother has put.in a bit of his favourite cake or biscuit, and he murmurs "Good old Mum, I don’t know how she does it!" A every letter in my

Here, then, are some recipes on these lines, not only for packing in the lunches, but for home use, too. Nut and Raisin Loaf (one egg) Three cups flour, 3 teaspoons. baking powder, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 egg, 142 cups milk, 1 cup seeded raisins, 1 cup chopped walnuts, 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Sift dry ingredients, add beaten egg to milk, stir in and mix well. Add nuts and raisins. Pour into greased tin. Let stand 30 minutes. Bake in moderate oven, regulo 5, about 114 hours. Brown Health Loaf (no eggs) Mix together 2 large cups wholemeal, 2 good teaspoons baking powder, 1 teaspoon salt. Rub in 1 good tablespoon butter, add 1 cup chopped dates, raisins and nuts, Dissolve 1 dessertspoon golden syrup or plain malt in a cup of hot water. Then add % cup cold milk and mix with dry ingredients. Bake in greased tin about 144 hours, moderate oven. Tango Cakes One large cup flour, 2 oz. butter, 4 oz. chopped walnuts, 1 tablespoon cocoa, 1 oz. cornflour, 1 small cup sugar, 4 oz. chopped dates, 1 egg, 1 teaspoon baking powder, vanilla essence. Cream butter and sugar, add beaten egg. Sift flour, cornflour, baking powder and cocoa. Stir into the butter and sugar, add dates and nuts, Bake in paper cases 10 minutes in hot oven. May be iced with icing made with a little icing sugar and cocoa dissolved in a little boiling water. Place half a walnut on top of each, These are nice, economical, small cakes, and the mixture makes from 20 to 24. Potato and Apple Squares Bake about 3 large potatoes in the oven in their jackets. Peel and mash well. They must be dry. Take 2 breakfast cups of the mashed potato, add 114 cups flour, 2 large teaspoons of baking powder, 2 tablespoons of icing or ordinary sugar, and a good pinch of salt. Sift all into mashed potato, add 1 teacup finely grated cheese. Mix to a nice dough, roll out, and on one half place slices of thinly cut apples. Sprinkle the apples witha little sugar, fold the other half over, press the edgeg all round, mark off into squares with the back of a knife, prick all over with a fork. Bake in fairly quick oven about 30 minutes, till brown. While still hot, spread with butter and sift a little castor sugar over the top. Sugar Top Buns (one egg) Boil together 4% cup sugar, 42 cup butter, and about 1 cup of water. Set aside to cool. Sift into basin 2 cups of flour and 2 teaspoons of baking powder, add 4% cup sultanas. Mix all to a soft dough with the liquid. Lastly, add one well-beaten egg with a few drops of (Continued on next page)

(Continued from‘ previous page) essence of lemon. Put dessertspoonfuis on a greased oven tray, sprinkle the tops with sugar, and bake about 15 minutes. They should rise and crack on top and be beautifully light..The secret is to have the dough very soft. Eggless Chocolate Cake Put into a bowl %4 Ib. butter, 1 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon golden syrup, 2 teaspoons cocoa, 1 tablespoon coconut, Warm these over a saucepan of hot water. Keep stirring till all is creamy, then add 1 teaspoon soda. Sift 1 large cup flour, and 1 teaspoon baking powder, add 42 cup wholemeal and % cup bran.. Have ready a cup of warm milk. Stir a little of the dry ingredients into the creamy mixture, then add a little milk, and so on, till all is used. Add vanilla to taste. Bake about an hour in sandwich tins in a moderate oven. Eggless Walnut Cake Half a pound of butter, 2 large cups of flour, 4% cup of chopped walnuts or less, 1 dessertspoon of golden syrup, 1 large cup of milk, a little essence of. vanilla, % Ib. sugar, % Ib. dates, 1 tablespoon cocoa, 2 teaspoons carbonate of soda, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 2 teaspoons vinegar. Beat the butter and sugar to a cream, add milk with golden syrup and soda dissolved in it. Add flour, cocoa, and baking powder, then nuts and dates chopped up. Lastly, vinegar and vanilla. Bake about 34 hour, Ice when cool. Aotea Shortbread Seven ounces of butter, 2 heaped tablespoons cornflour; 1 cup wheat flakes, 5 oz, flour, 3 oz. brown, sugar. Cream butter and sugar, add the flour and cornflour, Lastly, add the crushed flakes. This makes'a soft mixture, Form into small balls, place well apart on a cold buttered tray, press with the back of a floured fork. When cooked, they are in squares. Bake regulo 3 till nicely coloured. Easy Biscuits One small cup sugar, % Ib, butter, 1 tablespoon cocoa, 1 tablespoon coconut, 1 tablespoon honey, 4 tablespoons wholemeal, 14% cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, and essence to taste. Cream butter and sugar, add honey, coconut, and cocoa sifted with the flours. | Roll and cut out shapes, May be spread with icing, or eaten with butter. Bran Biscuits Two cups of bran, 2 cups wholemeal, 4 oz. butter, % cup brown sugar, 2 teaspoons baking powder, 1 egg, milk to mix. Beat butter and sugar to a cream, add egg and milk to make a stiff dough. Roll out thin. Bake till brown, about % hour. The egg may be omitted. Honey Biscuits Half a pound of butter, 4% Ib, honey, 1 Ib, flour, 1 teaspoon soda, 1% cup sugar. Beat butter and sugar, then add honey, and beat well. Now add dry ingredients. Roll out thin and bake in moderate oven. Very nice for soldiers’ parcels. :

Maori Kisses Two heaped tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons sugar, 42 cup chopped walnuts, % cup chopped dates, 1% Ib. preserved ginger, 1 cup flour, 1 tablespoon cocoa, 1 teaspoon baking powder, few drops vanilla essence, anda very little milk. Melt the butter, add the sugar, milk and cocoa. Add sieved flour, and baking powder and fruits. Make into small teaspoon-sized balls, cook on cold tray neither greased nor floured. Bake 10 to 15 minutes, moderate oven about 375 degrees. When cold, they may. be joined with butter icing, or they can be made bigger and iced with the following Caramel Icing: Five tablespoons brown sugar, 3 tablespoons butter, and 2 tablespoons milk. Bring to the boil for 3 or 4 minutes. Beat till thick. Takes 10 to 20 minutes ‘to beat up nicely. Cheese and Date Fingers Five ounces of flour, 1 egg yolk, 3 oz. butter, 1 tablespoon milk, 2 oz. grated dry cheese, 4% teaspoon cayenne and a pinch of salt. Rub the butter into the flour, add other ingredients, bind with egg yolk and milk, then roll out and cover one half with dates. Fold over and cut into fingers. Bake about 15 minutes. Make the dates soft by adding a little hot water. They must be quite cold befote spreading on paste. Eggless Apple Cake One small cup of brown sugar, 1% Ib. butter, 1 cup raisins, 2 cups flour, 2 small teaspoons baking powder, 114 cups of stewed apples, in which 2 teaspoons of baking soda have been dissolved, 2 teaspoons cocoa, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and 44 nutmeg, also a pinch of salt. Cream the butter and sugar, add the apples (not too wet), and lastly, the flour and fruit, with spices. Bake about an hour in a moderata, oven.